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Paper short abstract:

How to bridge art and science to explore murky natural-artificial binaries and offer strategies to navigate a rapidly changing Arctic and facing ethical complexities. Using machine learning, archives and cases like Inari missile and Tsar Bomba to explore impact on our Anthropocenic reality.

Paper long abstract:

The paper investigates the haunting legacy of techno and techno- and military skeletons "Monsters of the North" in the Arctic region, framing them as postnatural phenomena. Bringing in case studies together with artistic practises utilizing machine learning, archives and earth observation methods, it illustrates how these 'monsters' are woven into the fabric of the Anthropocene, blurring distinctions between natural and artificial worlds. These failed machinations of human pursuit are symbolic, of broader issues we are facing in polycrise revolving from rapidly accelerating change in climate. This work seek tto extend transdisciplinary discourse on how artistic and research practices can confront, mourn, and even reframe our understanding of postnatural. Amid the melting ice sheets and shifting geopolitics of the Arctic lies a lesser-discussed topic: the techno and military remains from past eras. These "Monsters of the North" represent a collision between technology, politics, and environment. From radioactive fallout from bomb testing to lost planes and missiles, these constructs lie dormant and radiate both literal and metaphorical. They question the binary between living and non-living entities and culture, presenting ontological, epistemological, and ethical challenges. This paper seeks to unravel these entities in the context of postnatural/biological discussions. Incorporating narratives such as Inari missile and the Tsar Bomba, it examines how these "monsters" impact human and more-than-human worlds. Through artistic and research, the paper explores strategies to confront and reckon these manifestations, proposing that facing our monstrous creations may be a vital step toward navigating the complexities of a rapidly transforming Arctic landscape.